Mr. Wenje said homosexuality is on the rise in Tanzania because the existing legislation does not provide a sufficient deterrent.

Under the current law, convicted suspects face custodial sentences ranging from 20 years to life imprisonment. According to Section 154 of the Act, any person who has carnal knowledge of any person against the order of nature is liable to imprisonment for life.

But Wenje said the law does not cover those who induce others to become gays or those who promote the behaviour.

He said there are many gays in Dar es Salaam who operate in the open, go to bars and social places, and that more young people are choosing the lifestyle.

Mr. Wenje is optimistic that his Bill will receive support from his colleagues and eventually get passed into law despite a predictable donor stance on the issue.

“We should not care about aid, we should care about our values and the future of the country,” he said when asked if passing of such law would not lead to donor’s freezing aid like is happening in Uganda.

According to the book The Dictionary of Homophobia:

Male homosexuality has been illegal in Tanzania since colonial times (Tanzania was a German colony from 1884 until World War I, then a British colony until independence was declared in 1961). Articles 154 to 157 of Tanzania’s penal code render all homosexual relations between men punishable… [though] (there is no mention of women).

Having said this, the law does not seem to be regularly applied, or if so, only erratically… And there is a burgeoning gay movement in the country; Community Peer Support Services (CPSS), an association for the defense of gays and lesbians, has been in existence since 1997 and currently has 334 members whom it trains to become activists. According to CPSS, the situation of gays and lesbians is better in Tanzania then in all its neighboring countries.

Though that would certainly change if this proposed bill becomes law. In 2012, a gay rights activist was murdered in Tanzania.

Comments

Africa is turning out to be quite the crucible. I pity those nations. Infected by colonialism, racism, and poverty. "Cured" by radical religion. They are becoming the purest form of hate.

Nuke the whole continent lol

Posted by: Killian | Apr 2, 2014 9:28:12 AM

Another winning idea from the basket case continent of the planet.

Posted by: dearcomrade | Apr 2, 2014 9:33:12 AM

Btw - Where are the Black Gay Westerners on this?

Come on ! Get with it ! Help your people. They're pretty ridiculous and illogical. They seem to love white evangelicals. Show them how to love Black Gay people.

Posted by: Killian | Apr 2, 2014 9:36:59 AM

Mentally diseased Nazi barbarian.

Posted by: Sean | Apr 2, 2014 9:42:34 AM

Isn't there a black organization in the USA which should be denouncing these African laws ?
Where are the statements of outrage ?
Why have the descendants of Africans in the USA not expressed fury at these fascist oppressive laws ?

@ SEAN has a point; these laws are reminiscent of the Nazi racial laws and everyone kept quiet back then. Are we going to do the same while gays are persecuted in Africa ?

Posted by: JackFknTwist | Apr 2, 2014 9:50:41 AM

Killian, your comments are illogical not to mention racist. In the U.S. in many states, gay employees can be fired from their jobs for being gay. Maybe you should suggest nuking North America too "lol". And why are singling out black gay westerners? They have some obligation to say or do more than white gay westerners? What, because of the color of their skin they have some magical connection to black Africans? Just dumb

Posted by: SpaceCadet | Apr 2, 2014 9:52:46 AM

Space

I'm not racist by a long shot.

Yes, they have more of an obligation.

Posted by: Killian | Apr 2, 2014 9:56:54 AM

There is going to be a "Gay Rwanda" in the next few years in Africa, mark my words.

But I think these stories are important for younger gays to give them context. It really wasn't that long ago that in the US and England you could not just be imprisoned but hanged for being gay. Anyone, anywhere, anytime could just shoot you for being gay and the law would look the other way.

Posted by: Homo Genius | Apr 2, 2014 10:07:25 AM

Killian's comments are not racist.....that's a word too often bandied about.
It's not racist that Black organizations, and White organization should call out the ignorant African homophobes behind these bigoted laws.

It's not good enough for once oppressed groups to tolerate the oppression of another group.
It's like kicking away the ladder by which they rose.
Equality is for all; not just for select groups.

Posted by: JackFknTwist | Apr 2, 2014 10:07:47 AM

Obviously I don't want anyone EVER to nuke any continent. I was being tongue in cheek. I am sorry if I offended anyone.

Before we start calling for a boycott of Tanzania, remember this is only one legislator`s submission of a bill. Let`s wait to see how their government reacts first.

Secondly, I agree with the above comments about how US black organizations should be taking the lead on supporting LGBT Africans. Unfortunately, if it`s white-dominated organizations who take the initiative, there's more likely to be a backlash from the Africans who will accuse us of "Western meddling".

Posted by: MikeMB | Apr 2, 2014 11:55:53 AM

Killian and JackFknTwist are right.

Posted by: Randy | Apr 2, 2014 12:53:11 PM

Clearly the LGBTA community in Africa needs to be supplied with all the advanced tools required to defend themselves from genocidal government officials. What is the point of having creating all those tools if they do not get used to defend the human rights of millions and millions of people.